Schools closed statewide Monday, Jan. 6

Gov. Mark Dayton has announced that all of the state’s K-12 public schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 6, due to dangerously cold weather in the forecast.

The National Weather Service predicts that most of the state will experience the coldest temperatures in a decade Jan. 6, with lows reaching -30 degrees and wind chills predicted to reach as low as -50 degrees. High temperatures from International Falls to Rochester are forecasted to be only -15 degrees.

“The safety of Minnesota’s schoolchildren must be our first priority,” Dayton said in written statement. “I have made this decision to protect all our children from the dangerously cold temperatures now forecasted for next Monday. I encourage Minnesotans of all ages to exercise caution in these extreme weather conditions.”

The decision to close schools across the state was announced Friday, Jan. 3, in order to give school administrators, teachers and parents time to plan for the closures. The Minnesota Department of Education will coordinate with school districts throughout the day to notify the public about the school closings.

“Children’s safety is always our top priority, and as a former superintendent, I know these are never easy calls,” Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius said in a written statement. “I want to thank Gov. Dayton for putting our kids’ safety first and am relieved parents won’t have to worry about sending their children out in the dangerous cold on Monday, but can instead keep them home, safe and warm.”

State law provides the governor authority to “authorize the commissioner of education to alter school schedules, curtail school activities, or order schools closed.”